


Would you have done the same?

by BitterBrooklynStreets, VulpixSinistre



Category: H.I.V.E. Series - Mark Walden
Genre: Anxious tics, Other, Spoilers for Escape Velocity, Two italians in a room, mentions of drinking, well at different times
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:07:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28967331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BitterBrooklynStreets/pseuds/BitterBrooklynStreets, https://archiveofourown.org/users/VulpixSinistre/pseuds/VulpixSinistre
Summary: Wow,The amount of technical difficulties and redrafts i went through for this !It was however, 100% worth it!Chapter one of this series is done!Oh,And,I: Buona liberazione! Troia...E:Good riddance ! Bitch...Hope you enjoyed it ! : D-Jay
Relationships: Contessa Maria Sinistre & Maxmilian Nero
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Would you have done the same?

Nero was sat back in his office, quick green eyes scanning the bare walls of his office. It’d been like this for a while now, cold, white walls and in all honesty he was getting bored of it. He swept his gaze around the room and final time before shaking his head and speaking up.

“H.I.V.Emind...Where’s the closest furniture store?”

Around four hours later, the Italian had managed to pull all the new furniture into the centre of his office, a pot of dark brown paint at his feet as he shrugged off his waistcoat and undid his cravat. Going to fold them up nicely on one of the chairs in the room.

He’d dropped the paintbrush several times, leaving splatters of paint on his shirt and face. Giggling like a child every-time it happened, the dark flecks littered his hands as he finally finished. Retreating to his office chair to wait out the tedious process of watching paint dry.

The black haired male ruffled his hair with a sigh before realising how bad of an idea that was. “It’s fine, I needed a shower anyways” He huffed, setting a timer and closing his eyes. A few hours later, Nero had practically almost finished. Books were all in alphabet order and the room felt a lot more him, He’d brought Raven in to help with that part of the decor because (As he’d found out) you couldn’t move full bookshelves by yourself.

The Italian sat back. “Beautiful ..” he whispered under his breath, proud of his own handiwork before he stood up quickly. Remembering the plants and portraits in the corner.

He tended to them quickly, trimming and watering the real ones when he’d placed them in the corners. Treating them with a gentle air to him,Like they were precious and easily breakable.

Nero placed one on his desk, a fake one, small with orange flowers littered on the emerald green leaves.

The portrait he was a lot more careful with. Placing it up on the wall with gentle hands, a kind touch. Letting the memories swarm him as he smiled softly.

And as he sat back down, covered in paint.  
He realised how much more at home he now felt here.

———————————————-——————————

“Finally.”

A wicked smile blossomed on her face as the Contessa surveyed Nero’s - no, her - office. As headmistress, every aspect of HIVE was now under her control. She had assumed her rightful place in power.

At least, that was what she kept thinking to herself, trying to drown out that knowledge that she was only here because of Number One, that he was the one pulling all the strings. And she was his puppet, carrying out his orders under the guise of her own, and one wrong move and she was dead-

No. She shook her head and forced the smile to stay, choosing to revel in her new position instead. After this… unfortunate incident was over with, his grip on her leash would loosen, an admittedly small amount, and she could truly take over the school.

The Contessa slowly examined every bit of the office, of what remained from Nero’s long inhabitancy. She had been inside more times than she could count and had to admit that the well decorated room reflected his personality, from the solid, dark walls; the perfectly stuffed chair sitting at an angle across from the fireplace; years of photos and articles detailing exploits of past students; to the meticulously trimmed potted plants off in one corner.

She crossed over to the fireplace, running her hand across the mantelpiece where a single empty whiskey glass waited to be held once more. A portrait of a woman hung in the space above, the Contessa had always wondered who it could be, but of course it was not wise to ask too many personal questions around here.

Whoever she is, Maria thought, she means nothing to me. She snatched it off the wall forcefully and then, with a hint of regret, leaned it face down on the chair.

“My office now,” she said to herself, hands on her hips, as she wondered what else she wanted to change to make it her own. As headmistress, it should only reflect her style now. Even if paving over the life of a man she had once called a friend, then betrayed, left traces of remorse, she had to move forward anyways. She had come too far to back out now.

The process proved to be more difficult than she had imagined. It was almost as if nothing was going according to plan. She had only managed to take down a handful of Nero’s wall hangings before the Phalanx had barged in to report a problem. And another. And then another. Arguing with the Professor had left her so annoyed that she had tried to calm down by testing out paint samples. She stood in a far corner of his - no, HER! - office and brushed streaks of dark gray, maroon, burgundy, and Prussian blue down the wall, until the constant ringing of her BlackBox and updates with bad news proved too irritating, and she slashed the brush back and forth, leaving harsh streaks and splatters of paint.

Growing tenser by the minute, hating this feeling of chaos and disarray, she moved over to sit at the desk, dragging one of the potted plants over for a more comforting atmosphere. It was covered in little orange flowers. She knew the name at one point, but not anymore.

She slumped back into the desk chair, and the movement shuffled something around in her dress pocket and poked it into her thigh. She reached in and pulled out the small, ornate silver frame containing the last photo she had of her daughter before they had stopped being on speaking terms. In the bustle of headmistress duties and carrying out Number One’s orders, it seemed that she had forgotten she’d put the picture in her pocket.

“I did it again, hmm?” the Contessa spoke to the photo. “I was too preoccupied with work.” She placed it tenderly on the desk at the base of the monitor, facing her. “Don’t you worry.” Her voice turned stonier. “Everything is almost taken care of. It will all be over soon.”

——————————————————————————

Nero felt sick.

He knew nothing major had been changed around,he suspected she hadn’t much time, but it was most definitely not in the same neat order that it was before.

And holy shit did he hate it.

The doctor clicked his tongue,  
And again.  
And again.  
Until it’d been about a minute of this frustrating noise he was emitting. One that would cause his discomfort to stop.

He knew it shouldn’t have made him upset as it had.  
But these last few months had drained him,So when he walked back in here he’d-  
He’d just...Expected it to feel like home.  
And it still did! (For the most part)

He looked over at the walls. The ones he’d spent so long painting. The ones where’d he’d made himself absolutely filthy.  
The memory of him greeting raven as he’d asked her to help him. The look of slight fear on her face as he’d greeted her covered in paint.  
(“Did think you brought it for the walls,Max”)

He had to fix it,But not right now.  
Right now. He thought to himself,Going over to one of the cupboards,Praying to whatever god there was that what he was searching for was still there.

Right now  
He was gonna sit back and hope that just enough drinks. Might even be a slightest bit enough.

Hoping somehow,Somewhere along the line.  
He was able to be in the right mental and physical state to fix what had happened .

“Here’s to you Maria” He growled at the empty air,Toasting to nothing.  
“ Buona liberazione! Troia...”

**Author's Note:**

> Wow,The amount of technical difficulties and redrafts i went through for this !  
> It was however, 100% worth it!  
> Chapter one of this series is done!  
> Oh,And,  
> I: Buona liberazione! Troia...  
> E:Good riddance ! Bitch...  
> Hope you enjoyed it ! : D  
> -Jay


End file.
